Eternals #1 – Review

Charles & Daniel Knauf (Writers) and Daniel Acuña (Artist)

How do you follow up a writer like Neil Gaiman?

The answer is, of course, you can’t. And you shouldn’t try. That’s why when Gaiman stopped writing Sandman, DC stopped publishing it. Unfortunately, with The Eternals Marvel didn’t have that option. When Gaiman stopped writing, the Dreaming Celestial had been awakened, Druig was trying to take over the world, and a nasty horde of… something… was coming to devour the Earth. Wisely, Marvel didn’t resume the book immediately; they took a year to regroup and try to find a team that might do justice to Gaiman and Romita Jr.’s run on the book.

Let’s start with the obvious: the Knaufs aren’t as good as Gaiman. (But that’s no surprise. There’s only once exception to the “Can’t Follow” rule, and that was Gaiman himself following Alan Moore on Miracleman.) They haven’t his wit, or his knack for seeing things from an alien perspective. Similarly, Acuña may technically be a better artist than Romita Jr. (the faces he draws actually seem three-dimensional) but he doesn’t have the same energy, and his colors are muddy, overburdened by browns and grays.

That being said, the Knaufs do a great job picking up and expanding on the plot threads of the last series. There’s a race going on: Ikaris and Thena are trying to reach and reawaken the Eternals mindwiped by Sprite before Druig can get his hooks in them. Their quarry this issue is a character I don’t believe we’ve seen before: Legba, the first Voodoo Eternal, who is currently a charismatic and less-than-angelic minister in Louisiana. Hopefully he’ll inject some much needed humor into the story, now that Sersi is stuck playing nursemaid to Makkari, whose link to the Dreaming Celestial is tearing him down, physically and emotionally. There’s also a sub-plot involving Thena’s son, who seems to be playing host to one of the nasty things that are bearing down on Earth.

All in all, it’s a good start to a promising series. The Knaufs and Acuña seem to be well poised to carry on the work begun by Gaiman and—judging by the over-the-top caption at the end of the book: “You have yet to read the ANCIENT AND SUBLIME COSMIC SECRETS OF THE CELESTIALS to be revealed in the next heart-stopping issue!”—the great Jack Kirby before him. (Grade: B)

– Andrew C. Murphy

A Second Opinion

As someone who’s read the entire run of Jack Kirby’s original Eternals series, I can’t say I was a big fan. The concept, blatantly ripped out of the old Chariots of the Gods novel, was poorly executed thanks to Kirby’s schizophrenic and convoluted storytelling as a writer. It was just too much, too ambitious, and felt out of place within the Marvel Universe. And then it ended abruptly. I know there’s stories about how Kirby was upset with Marvel’s failure to support the series and maybe that’s what led to the series ultimate demise. Whatever the case, The Eternals was not a very compelling or entertaining series for me.

Thankfully Neil Gaiman found some redeeming qualities, because his reboot worked very well for me. He modernized characrers, retooled their sense of purpose, and found a way to make them gel within the Marvel Universe – no easy task. In this newest series, the Knaufs have done a competent job in carrying the torch that Gaiman lit. And while the Dreaming Celestial’s dialogue feels trite at times, the race that’s going on between Ikaris an Druig seems interesting, especially with the cosmic threat at hand. Still, The Horde are not played up as much as they should, and unless Marvel has some big crossover plans in store with these creatures, they don’t seem to be much of an impending threat. Is it me or is The Horde a bit too reminiscent of the Annihilation Wave? Do we need another similar plot so soon? These aren’t complaints, but more so, reservations.

My real complaint is Daniel Acuna’s portrayal of action. After some of the gorgeous pages he did in Iron Man, it’s a bit disheartening to see him fumble around with what be best described as a run-of-the-mill confrontation between hero and villain. What gives? As for the rest of the issue, Acuna’s art quite good. His portrayal of the many characters of the Marvel Universe is a treat, and his coloring (particularly in Druig’s stronghold) is very mood driven.

To answer your question if this book’s worth picking up, I think so. Readers unfamiliar with The Eternals may still seem confused or lost despite the many recaps laden throughout the issue. There’s nothing mindblowing at work here, either, but as a debut issue it’s a solid story with a decent hook. This is not Jack Kirby’s Eternals and because of that the story may not work for some people. But I’m quite alright with that. This is actually much better. (Grade: B-)

– J. Montes